Global Climate Policy
Since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the United Nations and its member States have been working to advance public policies that protect life on Earth by protecting the environment that supports life. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the foundation for much of this work. Faith communities participate in the UNFCCC’s processes.
NEWS + LATEST UPDATES
A Strange Way to Start: COP29 is Underway
We hold our breath, waiting to see whether the incoming Trump Administration will follow through on the promise to once again pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement. There is much speculation that the coming administration will have a devastating impact on the climate.
Regina Banks: Showing up to COP29 as a Black American Woman
Showing up to COP29 as a Black American woman in these highly scrutinized global spaces is a complex experience. I arrive excited to work alongside familiar faces and strong allies, but I also feel the weight of representing a country whose climate commitments are capricious.
Journey to Ghana
Imagine a room filled with the brightest minds in contemporary theology, vibrating with excitement and sharing groundbreaking ideas. This was the atmosphere at Sankofa Conference...
Final Stocktake Text Leads to Cheers, Concerns
After an earlier draft of the Stocktake text drew criticism from climate advocates, leaders of small island states, and others, negotiators went back to the drawing board,...
OPEC Head Pushes Members to Derail Climate Negotiations
In a twist pulled from the plot of a dystopian movie, news broke that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, known as OPEC, had distributed a letter instructing its...
VP Al Gore Introduces New Climate Data Tool
At COP28 Sunday morning, former Vice President Al Gore told us about a new scientific tool, Climate TRACE, which promises to improve the way we measure and understand greenhouse...
Global Stocktake Negotiations at COP28
The Global Stock Take (GST) is the process called for in the 2015 Paris Agreement in which each party assesses the progress it has made toward its emissions reduction and...
Exceeding and Returning to 1.5, Panel Discussion
For a system as complex as the earth’s climate, small changes in one part of the system can lead to big changes in another part. That means the relationship between the global...
Upping the Ante on Loss & Damage
The first day of COP28 started with an historic decision to establish a Loss and Damage Fund to help countries address the irreparable impacts of ongoing climate change on...
Talanoa Discussion at COP28
Tonight I attended the Interfaith Gathering in the Spirit of Talanoa Dialogue at COP28, which was held at Christ Church Jebel Ali in Dubai, UAE. Talanoa is a problem solving...